Best Of

Hedgehog! I love 'em. There are some in my city and it's very comforting knowing that there are still some animals around.

I had to replace two driver belts in my car on Tuesday last week. Later in the week, I heard a grinding sound while driving out of my driveway. At first, I thought I had run over a twig that got stuck under the car. The noise eventually stopped, so I did not think much of it.

On Saturday, when I started the car, two warning lights came on. I drove off thinking they would go out, but they did not. I drove to the market to help set up our stall. After leaving the market around lunchtime to head to the ferry, the car started up fine, but the two warning lights were still on. I drove to the passenger ferry to attend a rally in the city. Later in the afternoon, I started the car to drive home, and a couple more warning lights came on. I drove home thinking I should take it back to the mechanic.

While driving along my dirt driveway, I came to our group of letterboxes and noticed what looked like a torn driver belt sitting on top of one. I thought that was strange. Why would someone put a torn belt on the letterbox?

I picked it up and drove to my place. As I was reversing into my parking spot, I noticed the steering wheel was hard to turn. I managed to park the car and opened the bonnet to take a look inside, not that I really knew what I was looking for. But I did notice that something was missing. When I tried to start the car again, all the warning lights came on and the car would not start.

That is when I finally put two and two together. One of the driver belts must have started to split, gradually come loose, and eventually fallen off as I was leaving the driveway that morning. A neighbour must have spotted it and put it on the letterbox.

It is the long weekend, so the mechanic will not be open until Tuesday. I have been thinking about getting another car for quite a while, and now I think it is time to take action.

Umm a nifty Suzuki Swift tickles my fancy. Like the one in this photo...

On the driveway this afternoon I came across this little fellow.

It is our desire for happiness and permanency that IS the major cause or our discontent.

Buddhism is not about becoming "happy" but about learning to relax and accept life AS it IS. And the more you drop your agendas, the more you start to become aware of the richness and vibrancy of each moment of Life. You begin to smile more, and start to become curious and observant.

You also begin to be aware that just like you, all beings wish to be happy and not have any unhappiness. And this awareness gives rise to a sense of kinship with all, generating both ease and compassion .. and eradicating our sense of isolation from others and from Life.

And when bad things happen, you relax anyway, since tensing up only makes pain feel stronger. You remind yourself of the First Noble Truth and the humor of thinking we are the ONLY person alive who is exempt from any suffering. And then we relax, knowing that even THIS ... too ... will pass. Nothing is permanent, and what is bothering us will not last.

In one of the beginning classes the local Lama gave (back in the year 2000) told us he was going to give us a Very Important Mantra ... one that would work for ALL situations. The entire class held their breath and learned forward in rapt anticipation. The Lama then shrugged his shoulders, raised his palms up, smiled and said, "What's the Big Deal?) and laughed.

Since 95% of how we feel arises automatically from whatever kinds of subconscious emotional patterns we have previously fed INTO our brain, happiness really IS a state of mind, and as such it will come only from within.

When we make a "big deal" out of something we will feel a "big deal".

“It isn't the things that happen to us in our lives that cause us to suffer, it's how we relate to the things that happen to us that causes us to suffer.” Pema Chödrön

Buddhism ends up being a way to change all reaction patterns, gaining freedom from both desires and aversions, even as they continue to stream out of our alive living brain in endless flows. There may yet be MORE to this slow progression, but even after 25 years I am not yet enlightened enough to know if there IS more.

That's the wonderful thing about Buddhism .. it is a lasting journey into discovery and increasing improvement .. and who KNOWS where it will end up .. until you end up there?